Jiwan Shakti Kaur (Julie Eisenberg) ERYT-500 started practicing yoga in the mid-1990s as a way to decompress from a stressful job. Over the years, as her practice deepened and evolved, she began to understand yoga as a tool of personal transformation and empowerment. She is a Kundalini Level 2 Teacher and Professional Teacher Trainer with the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI), with advanced certifications in therapeutics and other modalities. Jiwan Shakti opened Lighthouse Yoga Center in 2013 in her home community of Petworth, DC as a way to share the teachings of yoga with the residents of her diverse neighborhood. Outside the studio she has taught yoga to DC’s homeless population and low-income Spanish-speaking immigrants in Washington, DC and is involved in many community and civic organizations. Her classes, retreats and trainings are energetic, spiritual and often powerfully transformational.

Jazmín’s classes are a combination of Sivananda flow and her own personal experiences and learnings throughout the years as a former professional ballerina. Her class starts with a series of Pranayama (Kapalabati and Anuloma Viloma breathing exercises), continued by a flow of a structured combination of asanas (postures). She offers her classes in English, Spanish and French, and will be ready to teach a multilingual class anytime it’s necessary. Jazmín migrated to yoga after more than ten years as a professional ballerina and ballet teacher. Once she discovered yoga and started feeling the benefits, both physical and spiritual, of the practice, she dove in to explore different techniques. Moved by her passion to learn and teach, she completed her teacher’s training course at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp in Montreal in 2017. She is also the Studio Manager at Lighthouse.

Nandi is a KRI Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Instructor, graduate of Lighthouse Yoga Center’s KRI Teacher Training Program. She has found that Kundalini Yoga is a way to heal her pain from the core out, focus her mind, truly see and understand herself deeply and vibrate light to those around her. Nandi is a wife, mother of four, dancer and capoeirista turned yogi. She took her first yoga class more than 11 years ago in a Saturday program at her son’s school. With that first class she felt the positive vibes, and as time went on she wanted to deepen he spiritual journey – which led her directly to Kundalini Yoga class. Kundalini Yoga is yoga of awareness aimed at healing and balancing total mind body and spirit! Nandi's classes facilitate experiences for individuals to find the divine within and illuminate peace light and love!

Looking for a strength building workout on a fall morning in 2008, Emily accepted the invitation of a friend to attend a yoga class. She began attending yoga classes regularly because—as many yoga students quickly discover–it felt so good. Somewhere along the way the age old practice began transforming her body and mind in ways that she didn’t even known to ask for but for which she is immensely grateful. Emily is a full-time yoga teacher with over 1000 hours of training in yoga techniques including asana (poses), restorative yoga, yoga nidra (deep relaxation), meditation, pranayama, energy healing, and yoga philosophy. She is also dedicated to a daily self-guided study and practice on the mat and in the world. Emily brings a warm and steady tone to her classes, and finds great joy in seeing students leave with a greater sense of mental and physical space and increased access to the inner source of knowing. Emily’s classes are inspired by her teacher Dharma Mittra and what he has shared with her from his 50+ years of teaching yoga.

Audrey has been practicing yoga for more than 15 years. She first took a kundalini course in college in southern California, but didn’t start regularly practicing yoga until several later when she developed a vinyasa practice. She completed a 200-hour interdisciplinary yoga training at Nosara Yoga Institute in 2007 and taught vinyasa for several years at Petworth’s Yoga House Studio, where she delved more deeply into kundalini classes. Audrey completed her 220-hour KRI Level I kundalini teacher training at Lighthouse Yoga Studio in 2017. She particularly enjoys the practice’s emphasis on pranayama, meditation, and cultivation of inner strength, as well as strength and spine-opening. She also enjoys dabbling in yin, restorative, and hatha. Outside of yoga, Audrey is in the communications field and dotes on her dog.

When Evan was dragged by a former girlfriend to his first yoga class in 2010, he was just hoping to get some exercise and maybe relieve some muscle pain. What he found was SO much more: a profound awakening to the power of linking breath and movement to calm the mind and heal the body. Evan’s yoga journey has weaved through a range of styles, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Forrest. After completing his 200hr Teacher Training with Abby Dobbs in DC, he began teaching in 2017 to share his love for yoga as a way to feel the body, move energy, and let go of patterns that don’t serve us so we can make choices that are in alignment with our “highest self.” Evan’s classes are inspired primarily by Forrest yoga, blending flows, holds, deep breathing, and bodywork, with intentions rooted in yoga philosophy that we can practice on the mat and take with us into everyday life.

Alle Kamela returned from serving in the Peace Corps in Madagascar in 2015, and found themselves on their yoga mat in order to cope with reverse culture shock. A year later they discovered a gentle yet strong practice called Dharma Yoga here in DC. The full practiced really entranced them – especially the emphasis on chanting and the idea that yoga is a way of life, not just a physical practice. They studied with legendary yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra in New York City in July 2017 and still travel to NYC regularly to practice with him. Alle makes sure to practice yoga daily – whether it be the asanas, meditation, or just being kind to their neighbors -- it’s all yoga!

Lisa Lauxman stumbled on a six-week special Beginner's Yoga class when she was seeking something to help with balance and flexibility as she ages. Previous yoga experiences had been through gyms where she was a member. What a difference a yoga studio experience makes! Lisa found so much more, she found a community where following the breath and aligning the body create balance in one's life. To advance her yoga journey, Lisa completed her RYT-200 training at Willow Street Yoga in Takoma Park, MD and is a lifelong learner at heart so has completed a Restorative Yoga training with Tara Lemerise. She seeks to live a yogic life through meditation practice and the asanas. Lisa hopes to provide such balance for others through her classes and have fun!

Megan is an E-RYT with Yoga Alliance and a member of The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Her study and practice of yoga are informed by her experiences with rehabilitation, theories of traditional anatomy and Anatomy Trains®, along with the application of techniques from kinesiology and movement therapy. Since becoming a yoga teacher in 2005 Megan has worked with students who have moderate to severe injuries and chronic conditions.

Tara took her first yoga class for college PE credit in 1999 and it was (cliche but true!) love at first down dog. She went on to complete teacher training at Willow Street Yoga Center in 2005 and has taught over 5,000 hours of yoga since then. She is best known in the DC area for her highly praised continuing education Restorative Yoga Teacher Training program and her Restorative Yoga weekend retreats. In Tara's weekly classes you can expect clear, encouraging and lighthearted instructions that will help you explore poses and sequences in new and interesting ways. Whether you are brand new to yoga or have been practicing for many years, you will find just the right amount of challenge and inspiration. Everyone leaves her classes feeling empowered, joyful, and grounded. To learn more about Tara, visit her website: www.taralemeriseyoga.com.

Colleen is a devoted yogi, lawyer and labor and human rights advocate. She believes in the power of yoga to create social change and harmony. Her yoga classes seek to open the hearts, minds and inner intelligence of her students to realize the positive impact and peace that they can have in their own lives and in the world around them. Colleen has practiced Forrest, Kundalini and Hatha yoga for over 10 years.

Hillary (Tera Kirti Kaur) first discovered yoga when she was 16 and explored Hatha and Vinyasa before falling in love with Kundalini in 2013. She completed her KRI Level 1 certification in 2017 and Yoga for Youth teacher training in 2016. Hillary is passionate about sharing her love of yoga with others and enjoys discussing the unique experiences that happen on the mat and as the practice starts shaping other aspects of daily life. She sees yoga as both an escape from the pressures around us and a way to connect with ourselves and with the world around us in a different, deeper, and more spiritual way. In addition to her daily yoga practice, Hillary draws inspiration from her family—in particular her son, Elom—bike rides, and walks in nature.

Catherine Marquette (RYT500) has been a yoga student for over 15 years, having arrived to her first Iyengar yoga class after injuries halted her competitive running career. She completed her 200hr teacher training with Kim Weeks at Boundless Yoga (DC) and later completed her 300hr teacher training under Chrissy Carter at YogaWorks (NYC). An Iyengar student and certified Level 1 YogaWorks teacher, Catherine has been teaching for almost a decade and brings a sense of humor to her obsession with alignment.

Brian discovered Kundalini Yoga on accident, walking into a studio in 2012 and taking the first available class that evening, which happened to be an awesomely strange mix of meditation, postures, chants and movement. He found it utterly magical — “Wait, so you make these hand movements, breathe in a certain way, close your eyes, and say these words, and you can feel like this, all the time?” — and became hooked. He’s been taking Kundalini classes ever since, building it into his daily life, and completed his 220-hour KRI Level I Teacher Training at Lighthouse. He has a love for heart-based kriyas and meditations — “These should be taught all over DC, everywhere!” — and might have been a dog in a former life, as he loves nothing more than walking through Rock Creek Park every day and chasing a soccer ball. Brian’s classes are both energizing and relaxing at the same time, and are geared towards building awareness, and connecting ourselves with our true selves.

A yoga teacher for more than 15 years, Kati has practiced, studied and taught a rainbow of yoga traditions including hatha, vinyasa, and Iyengar. Through her yoga journey, she has developed her own unique teaching style that focuses on connection to the breath and attention to alignment. She addresses the individual needs of each of her students, creating a challenging but safe environment for everyone to experience the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of yoga. She has a deep commitment to the practice of Kundalini yoga, and is a Level Two Certified Teacher by the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI). Kait's goal as a yoga teacher is to channel her enthusiasm and energy to empower others to live a life with peaceful minds and hearts filled with love. She believes that through a committed practice, people can get in touch with the essence of who they really are.

Suzanne considers herself a life-long student of yoga and is passionate about sharing the transformational power of the practice. As a child, she found her grandmother’s yoga books and was intrigued by the postures, but it wasn’t until she was an adult that she committed to a consistent yoga and meditation routine. She is infinitely fascinated by the yoga and has lived and studied at two of the country’s leading yoga retreat and education centers, Yogaville Satchidanda Ashram and Kripalu Center of Yoga and Health. Suzanne completed a 220-hour Kundalini Yoga certification at Lighthouse Yoga, a 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga certification with Faith Hunter and studied contemplative prayer at the Shalem Institute. Yoga is Suzanne’s prayer, energy boost, stress buster, fun challenge, confidant and so much more. She believes yoga is a technology that uplifts us and help us feel at home in our bodies, so that we can live as mindfully powerful beings.

Meredith began her own yoga practice over 15 years ago – first to get a little exercise and later to try to find sanity and balance despite a stressful job as a consultant. She stuck with yoga thanks to a welcoming and vibrant yoga community. Early in her practice she was drawn to an alignment-based school of teaching, connecting to a clear and thoughtful way of articulating poses, an invitation to participate fully and creatively in everyday life, and the fact that laughter on the mat was not only tolerated, but encouraged. She has continued to grow and share her love of the practice ever since. When her first son was born in 2013, she started to take infant, then toddler classes, and her family has continued the journey together. Meredith carries a sense of playfulness into her classes for both children and grownups, and is excited to share with students of all ages the joys and challenges that yoga reveals both on and off the mat.

After practicing yoga for 15 years, Holly Meyers became a certified instructor in 2008. Both her practice and teaching cultivate outer strength and inner peace. Drawing from classical Hatha, contemporary Vinyasa and Kundalini yoga, Holly’s classes include flowing sequences, breath work, meditation and intention setting. She specializes in mindful offerings for youth and adults experiencing hardship, trauma and intense stress, and has served numerous nonprofits and youth groups with community classes. Holly designs curriculum for and leads Yoga Teacher Trainings in meditation, trauma-sensitive teaching approaches and yoga philosophy.

Rebecca’s journey with yoga and meditation began more than twenty years ago when she took precepts with the Zen Buddhist Society of Compassionate Wisdom, finding that a vigorous yoga practice was the only way to keep her chattering mind quiet on her meditation mat. As those practices expanded into helping her with the stresses of school, and, later, work and family life, she has been exploring the benefits of her practice on and off the mat ever since. Forever a student, she brings a beginners mind and an awakened heart to her practice and teaching. Compassion, empathy, humor and joy are at the core of all of her classes. Her focus is on alignment and mindful movement with breath in both a traditional hatha as well as vinyasa style.

Kristina (Karuna) Maze is a local yoga instructor with years of experience teaching beginner-, intermediate-, and advance-level students traditional asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation/relaxation techniques. She weaves elements of Sivananda, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Jivamukti yoga styles, as well as modifications to poses, into her classes. For the past decade, Karuna has hosted yoga satsangs, where she leads chants (kirtan) and cooks a glorious feast of vegetarian fare--usually with ingredients grown in her gardens.

Lauren Cavanagh is a mat certified Pilates instructor and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She received her classical Pilates mat training through Mariska Breland of Fuse Pilates and is completing her comprehensive Pilates training through the prestigious Pilates Center of Boulder in Boulder, CO. Lauren is also a Certified Health Coach and Corporate Health and Wellness Consultant. As such, she eats, sleeps and breathes fitness. As a true extrovert, she loves fitness studios that foster a sense of community and inclusivity. When not doing all things health and fitness-related, she is spending time with her husband Brendan and their big floppy hound dog, Crockett.

Halli Jastaran Faulkner is a proud teacher of yoga for women who have experienced sexual assault and/or abuse. A survivor herself, Halli started practicing yoga and meditation when she was 18-years-old. In 2012, she fell in love with kundalini yoga as a tool for processing trauma, healing deep wounds, and connecting with her destiny. In 2014, Halli trained with Krishna Kaur in Los Angeles to become a certified kundalini yoga teacher. Musician Snatam Kaur reminds us that “Love pours forth from the heart of the universe” – it is this love that Halli expresses in her Woman Warrior workshops. She leads, teaches, pushes, and empowers with love – understanding that survivors already have exactly what they need to heal.